Radio Display is dark...new stock unit, help!

[Aiden]

So I just replaced my old stock unit with a new stock unit I got on Ebay. I replaced it for two reasons:

1. The radio on the old one did not work, it works with the new unit I installed.

2. The display that usually glows orange/red on the old unit was dark, where you could only see the display when you look really close because it was not lit up.

I put the new unit in and the display worked for like 5 minutes, then went out on me. What the heck? Is there a fuse that runs that that could be bad? What could the problem be? I really would like to get it working because I can hardly ever read what is on the display, especially at night, which could be dangerous if I need to keep my eyes on the road and instead I am straining to see what the display says.

 

[m5runner]

I am not sure what it is but mine did the same shit the other day but it came back to life after a few days. Maybe your cd changer has something to do with it. I wouldn't know where to start to tell you the truth

 

[Average Jae]

just curious, are rest of your gauges nice and bright at night? maybe the dimmer switch is turned down? prolly a dumb question, but it never hurts to ask hope you find the answer to your problem soon.

if the new head unit doesn't work out for ya, maybe investing in an aftermarket unit like an alpine might not be a bad idea..

 

[philpa]

My 97 is exactly the same way. I purchased it last month and was told that I would have to replace the radio to get the light to work. I need to do that, considering that the AM is horrible. Can't get any reception, only on FM.

 

[Aiden]

Philipa - had the same problem with my old unit only the FM did not work, but the AM did.

the rest of the gauges are fine, so I know it is not the dimmer switch, but it never hurts to ask something simple like that.

As far as getting an after market head unit, does anyone know of one that would be compatible with the stock CD changer? That is what I would want if possible

Thanks.

 

[m5runner]

Alpine I believe

 

[mjbst111]

Yeah my head unit did both of those as well (dim and FM not working). I found that if i gave the dash a good hard hit one or both would come back on. Eventually i got to the point though i was beating my dashboard daily and i could not take it anymore. I just slapped an aftermarket unit in. I miss my cd changer though.

So something is loose. Took my head unit apart and it doesn't look like it would be easy to fix....

 

[bmwidd]

I have the same problem with my 98 328iS. Am I hearing everyone correctly that there is no way to fix this problem without replacing the whole unit?

 

[dbach_cj]

Repair dim lights

I have been told that the folks at unitedradios.com can repair the dim lights on the head unit. I am in the process of sending mine for an estimate.

 

[Aiden]

I have been told that the folks at unitedradios.com can repair the dim lights on the head unit. I am in the process of sending mine for an estimate.

Any luck with unitedradios? It seems to be a VERY common problem in our e36 models. My cd changer is getting crappy now too, whenever I go over a bump it skips...sometimes even when I brake I think the friction creates enough disturbance to make it skip...but this is the topic of my next thread.

 

[fritchy]

Let me understand. You replaced your head unit with a new factory head unit and it too doesn't illuminate? Or was it a used factory unit that you replaced it with?

And btw, If you decide to buy aftermarket I believe Blaupunkt might be most compatiable since it too is a german company and came installed on many german cars (including bmw i think)

I am not using my CD changer nor my tape deck head unit. I do MP3 only. All of my music is in MP3 format b/c I can get over 150 songs (approx. 12-15 albums or 700mb). Who needs a six disc changer when I can burn 15 albums on 1 blank CD. I went to Circuit City and purchased and had them install a Panasonic CQ-5301U CD/MP3 player for like $220. It is not the best player in the world, but it does the job and it looks good in the car. It has mostly red illuminate with some blue.